Moore & Van Allen’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is longstanding. Established in 2002, the Diversity Committee’s purpose is to raise awareness and foster understanding and appreciation of the various ethnicities, races, religions, countries and regions of origin, physical abilities and sexual orientations represented within Moore & Van Allen and the clients and community we serve.
The Diversity Committee strives to cultivate and maintain relationships with a number of community partners including, but not limited to, the following:
- Community Building Initiative, a nonprofit organization established in 1997 by government and civic leaders, which is dedicated to issues of access, inclusion and equity in the Charlotte community.
- APEX Mentoring Task Force, a mentoring program that provides mid to senior level associates of color the opportunity to connect with and learn from senior in-house counsel in Charlotte’s largest legal departments. Moore & Van Allen is proud to have been a founding law participant in APEX.
- Mecklenburg County Bar General Counsel and Managing Partners Diversity Initiative, a program that focuses on increasing diversity within local legal organizations. Moore & Van Allen was one of the first firms to sign the Initiative’s Action Plan which asks organizations to commit individually and collectively to practices that will benefit the demographic make-up of our local legal community.
- Charlotte Legal Diversity Clerkship, a highly competitive summer program that identifies and exposes qualified minority students to the Charlotte legal community. Moore & Van Allen served as one of the founding organizations of the program.
- Carolinas-Virginia Minority Supplier Development Council that expands business opportunities for Minority Business Enterprises by adding economic value to the supply chain, while increasing economic opportunities for the minority business community.
- MVA serves as a sponsor of the Women Lawyers of Charlotte and ensures membership to the organization for our female lawyers.
- MVA is a proud sponsor of the North Carolina HRC Gala in Charlotte, NC.
- MVA is a proud sponsor of the annual YMCA MLK Holiday Breakfast benefitting the McCrorey YMCA.
- MVA is a sponsor of the Mecklenburg Bar Foundation's annual McMillan Dinner which recognizes a diversity champion within the local bar; funds from the event help underwrite summer clerkship opportunities at local legal services institutions.
The Women of MVA (WoMVA), a subcommittee of the Diversity Committee, is dedicated to the advancement of women in law and strives to enhance the business and professional development of its membership.
The MVA Lawyers of Color (LOC), another subcommittee of the Diversity Committee, brings together lawyers of color at our firm for mentoring, networking and career development opportunities.
Diversity Committee Members
- Kate Cole
- Stephanie Gryder
- Keisha Jeffries
- Amy Johnson (Co-chair)
- Rhea Kelley
- Luis Lluberas
- Valecia McDowell (Co-chair)
- Tom Mitchell
- Ashley Nutley
- Patti Oswald
- Nader Raja
- Meredith Reedy
- Ernie Reigel
- Brennan Sheedy
- Caroline Yingling
Moore & Van Allen’s Diversity Statement
At Moore & Van Allen we recognize that having people with different racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds, countries and regions of origin, genders, generations, physical abilities and sexual orientations is critical to our ability to provide the highest level of legal services. By fostering an inclusive work environment we come together as one extraordinary team with the common purpose of providing truly outstanding legal services to our clients. Our commitment to diversity goes beyond our firm to the communities we serve through extensive outreach initiatives. These core principles are embraced by the firm’s leadership. Our managing member serves on the firm’s Diversity Committee.